Passion of the Lord

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Sunday, 17 May 2020 : Sixth Sunday of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday is the sixth Sunday in the Season of Easter, as we quickly approach the end of this blessed season and time, with the Solemnity of the Ascension coming up within the week, and the Solemnity of the Pentecost coming very soon as well. On this Sunday therefore our attention is brought to the promise of God’s Holy Spirit that He has made to His disciples and which we have therefore received through the same Apostles and disciples of the Lord, passed down through God’s Church.

In our first reading today taken from the Acts of the Apostles we heard of the work of St. Philip, one of the Twelve Apostles who went to the land and region of Samaria in between Judea and Galilee, and preached there about the truth and salvation in Jesus Christ, and many came to believe in the Lord. And as described, when the Apostles in Jerusalem heard about the conversions of the Samaritans, some of the Apostles, St. Peter and St. John went over there to pray over the newly converted Samaritans and laid their hands on them, giving them the same gift of the Holy Spirit they have received at Pentecost.

The same Holy Spirit has therefore been passed down from the hands of the Apostles to all the faithful people of God, and from the Apostles to their successors, the bishops and priests of the Church who then in turn pass down the same Holy Spirit to the faithful down the many generations since the early days of the Church to this very day. We have received the same Holy Spirit through our Sacrament of Baptism, when we were baptised like that of the Samaritans, in the Name of the Blessed Trinity of Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, and then sealed by the Sacrament of Confirmation.

In our second reading today, from the Epistle of St. Peter, we heard of the Apostle exhorting the faithful to remain true to their faith in God, to keep the tenets of their faith and to be strong amidst the pressure to leave behind their faith and the temptation to abandon their God. The Apostle exhorted the faithful to be genuine in their faith, to be virtuous and righteous in their words, actions and deeds so that all those who slandered and oppressed them would be ashamed and humiliated by their own wickedness and evil.

St. Peter therefore called on all of us as Christians to be active in living up to our faith, to be faithful in all things and deeds that everyone who hear us, witness us and interact with us may know that we are Christians, that we belong to God and are His people, and that we are who we say we are, faithful and dedicated to do the will of God at all times. Otherwise, how can we then call ourselves as Christians? And if we do not sincerely practice our faith, we will end up scandalising it, as others will then then be able to point our faithlessness and lukewarm attitude.

The Lord Jesus put it plainly before all of us in our Gospel passage today, that if we truly love Him, we will keep His commandments and do the will of His Father, and that is to love God with all of our hearts, with all of our might and with all of our efforts and attention. If we truly love God, then we will also love our brothers and sisters, regardless of who they are and how close they are to us, and we will love them through all our actions, caring for them and showing them the same love and compassion that God has shown us all.

This is what is meant for us to be Christians, and to be faithful in our calling as God’s own beloved people. If we are not able to do this, or unwilling to do what the Lord has called us to do, then we cannot call ourselves as Christians. Unfortunately, this is what many among us who call ourselves as Christians are doing in our lives. We carry on our lives treating our Christian faith as merely a formality, just as a badge or name on paper only, and not living with sincere desire and love for God.

Many of us even had to drag ourselves to go to Mass every Sunday, and many more even attended Mass only on Easter and Christmas, and some did not even attend any Mass or faith activities at all! This is the sad state and reality about our faith, which had been happening in the past many years and decades. However, the good news is that in recent years, there had been a surge of hope as more and more Christians, especially the younger generation, began to take their faith much more seriously again. They began to attend the Holy Mass with regularity and genuine desire to know more of the Lord and to love Him.

More and more people are beginning to wake up from their slumber in their faith lives, as they began to take a more active and dedicated approach in their lives to follow the Lord. More and more people begin to seek for God, desire for His love and love Him again with greater sincerity of heart. This is what all of us must embrace too, brothers and sisters in Christ. God has called us to Himself, and He has shown us the path and He has also bestowed upon us the gift of the Holy Spirit to help and guide, to lead us down the path of truth and hope.

Are we willing to follow this path shown to us, brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we willing to live our lives from now on with Christian sincerity and dedication? The choice is ours alone, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we can choose whether we want to continue to be lukewarm with our faith, to be unfaithful and treating our faith as no more than a nuisance and chore, or whether we want to embrace our faith with zeal and sincere commitment, to walk down the path that God has shown us?

In our current time and day, we are still enduring the painful effects of the various tragedies we have been encountering all these past few weeks and months, particularly the still dangerous threat of the coronavirus pandemic. As of today, over four million people had contracted the disease, and while over one and a half million had recovered, but almost three hundred thousand people had lost their lives, and millions more are still hospitalised and some among them fighting for their lives.

And many tens of millions of people if not more are threatened in their income and employment. Many had lost their precious work and many had to endure significant difficulties in searching for new job, while others had to work extra hard because they are in the frontline and healthcare efforts to combat this pandemic. Others had to endure significant pay cuts or suspension in their pay, and thus worry about how they will feed and take care of their loved ones.

Now, what are we going to do then? How do we live our lives as Christians and indeed, genuine Christians during these difficult and dark moments? It is by showing genuine love for our fellow brothers and sisters, to share hope and encouragement with one another, rather than to act selfishly or to stoke hatred for certain groups of people or individuals. We have heard and read of quite a few sad story of how the current crises led to increase in incidents of racism and attacks against certain group of people, certain acts of ostracising and unfair treatments and judgments of our fellow men, among others.

We have also heard how people acted irresponsibly and selfishly, hoarding essential goods and materials, just so that they could save themselves and get what they wanted, but with disregard for the need of others. And it is the sad truth that not few Christians were among those who have committed all these irresponsible, unjust, and indeed, most un-Christian behaviour. And this is therefore a reminder for each and every one of us that we must not adopt this kind of attitude ourselves.

Rather than spreading hatred, injustice and bitterness, we are called and indeed challenged to spread love, justice and compassion instead. When our hearts and minds are tempted to be selfish in our actions, to be angry at other people and to fear for our safety and our livelihood, to despise and to be filled with despair, let us all remember that God is always there for us, by our side, as our Hope and our Strength, as our Anchor in this most uncertain and darkest moment of our lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us bring with us this Hope we have in God, the trust we have in His love and providence, and let us share it with everyone around us. Let us be the beacons of God’s light and hope, brightening the lives of others around us, helping our brothers and sisters to overcome their fears and despair. Let us all be true Christians at all times and bear rich fruits of the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. May the Lord be with us always and bless our every good endeavours. Amen.

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Sunday, 17 May 2020 : Sixth Sunday of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 14 : 15-21

Jesus said to His disciples, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments; and I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever, that Spirit of truth Whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He is with you and will be in you.”

“I will not leave you orphans, I am coming to you. A little while and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me, because I live and you will also live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. Whoever keeps My commandments is the one who loves Me. If he loves Me, he will also be loved by My Father; I too shall love him and show Myself clearly to him.”

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Sunday, 17 May 2020 : Sixth Sunday of Easter (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Peter 3 : 15-18

But bless the Lord Christ in your hearts. Always have an answer ready when you are called upon to account for your hope, but give it simply and with respect. Keep your conscience clear so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your upright, Christian living. Better to suffer for doing good, if it is God’s will, than for doing wrong.

Remember how Christ died, once and for all, for our sins. He, the Just One, died for the unjust in order to lead us to God. In the Body He was put to death, in the Spirit He was raised to life.

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Sunday, 17 May 2020 : Sixth Sunday of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 65 : 1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a, 16 and 20

Shout with joy to God, all you on earth; sing to the glory to His Name; proclaim His glorious praise. Say to God, “How great are Your deeds!”

All the earth bows down to You, making music in praise of You, singing in honour of Your Name. Come and see God’s wonders, His deeds awesome for humans.

He has turned the sea into dry land, and the river was crossed on foot. Let us, therefore, rejoice in Him. He rules by His might forever.

All you who fear God, come and listen; let me tell you what He has done. May God be blessed! He has not rejected my prayer; nor withheld His love from me.

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Sunday, 17 May 2020 : Sixth Sunday of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 8 : 5-8, 14-17

Philip went down to a town of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. All the people paid close attention to what Philip said as they listened to him and saw the miraculous signs that he did. For in cases of possession, the unclean spirits came out shrieking loudly. Many people who were paralysed or crippled were healed. So there was a great joy in that town.

Now, when the Apostles in Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. They went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for He had not as yet come down upon any of them since they had only been baptised in the Name of the Lord Jesus. So Peter and John laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

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Saturday, 16 May 2020 : 5th Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the message of the Sacred Scriptures speaking to us about the reality of our faith, that while we may encounter many good things and good opportunities in our faith journey, but there will also be challenges, trials and difficulties that we will have to endure throughout our journey of life, because of the opposition and incompatibility with the ways of the world.

In this matter, what the Lord meant was not that we purposely should seek trouble with the world and be confrontational. Rather, it is a reminder for us all not to be swayed by the comforts and pleasures of the world, that the world and its ways are not fully compatible with the ways of the Lord, and if we decide to follow the Lord and respond to His call, we may encounter persecution, oppression, or at least obstacles and challenges in our way.

And the Lord said that this is to happen because the world itself has rejected Him, and refused to listen to Him and His truth. The world here refers to the world of sin, the world under the dominion and control of the evil one, Satan and all of his allies and forces, the demons and all those seeking our destruction. That is why, ‘the world’ will probably try to persuade us and even coerce us to turn away from God’s path and embrace the path of sin and darkness.

This is because the devil and his allies know that the moment we slip away from their hold, they will lose us forever, and they do not want that to happen. Their fates had already been sealed, defeated by God and condemned to suffer forever for their rebellion, but they want to drag us all down together with them into hellfire. They will also try whatever means available to them to pressure us into conforming, to turn away from God and to fall into sin.

But we must not fear them, brothers and sisters in Christ, for the Lord is always by our side, guiding our path and providing us with whatever we needed, and He is always ever faithful to the Covenant that He has established with each and every one of us. We have heard of the works of the Apostles, particularly that of St. Paul and his companions throughout this season of Easter from the Acts of the Apostles, and we heard how the Apostles and all the servants of God encountered plenty of difficulties during their journeys and missions.

Yet God was always with them and guiding them through the missions which He has called them to. He walked with them and gave them wisdom and guidance through the Holy Spirit, encouraging and strengthening them along the way. We heard how the Apostles and followers of the Lord, the early Christian communities encouraged each other and prayed for one another. The Spirit of God guided them and showed them all what to do and where to go.

Therefore, today all of us are reminded of the faith that we must have in God even in our most difficult and darkest moments. There will be plenty of challenges we have to face as we carry on living our lives and especially so as Christians. But we must not lose hope or despair because we must remember that the Lord is truly with us, providing for us and protecting us, guiding us to walk faithfully in His path. We have to keep our faith in Him strong, and share this faith and hope with our fellow brothers and sisters.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in these past days, weeks and even months, our societies and communities have been heavily battered and affected by the terrible effects of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as its various complications and impacts on the global, national and regional economies, on our various livelihoods and aspects of life. I am sure we are aware how many people are losing their hope and even sanity in the midst of these difficult troubles and times, but this is exactly where we can be those beacons of hope for everyone.

Let us all remind one another of the hope that we have to have in God, by showing our genuine faith to God, in our every words, actions and deeds, in our every interactions with each other. Let us all commit ourselves more and more to the Lord, so that everyone who witness us, hear us and interact with us may come to know of God’s providence and love by our every deeds, by our every efforts to bring hope and encourage our fellow brethren in need. May God bless us all and may He strengthen us in our faith, and help us to commit ourselves to His cause and do His will at all times.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen each and every one of us in our resolve to follow Him and to dedicate ourselves to Him. May the Lord give us the strength and the courage to remain faithful despite the difficulties and challenges we have to face in each and every moments of our lives. May God bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 16 May 2020 : 5th Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 15 : 18-21

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If the world hates you, remember that the world hated Me before you. This would not be so if you belonged to the world, because the world loves its own. But you are not of the world, since I have chosen you from the world; because of this the world hates you.”

“Remember what I told you : the servant is not greater than his master; if they persecuted Me, they will persecute you, too. If they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. All this they will do to you for the sake of My Name, because they do not know the One Who sent Me.”

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Saturday, 16 May 2020 : 5th Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 99 : 2, 3, 5

Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God; He created us and we are His people, the sheep of His fold.

For the Lord is good; His love lasts forever and His faithfulness through all generations.

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Saturday, 16 May 2020 : 5th Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 16 : 1-10

Paul travelled on to Derbe and then to Lystra. A disciple named Timothy lived there, whose mother was a believer of Jewish origin but whose father was a Greek. As the believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him, Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him. So he took him and, because of the Jews of that place who all knew that his father was a Greek, he circumcised him.

As they travelled from town to town, they delivered the decisions of the Apostles and elders in Jerusalem, for the people to obey. Meanwhile, the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number every day.

They travelled through Phrygia and Galatia, because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to do this. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.

There one night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and begged him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” When he awoke, he told us of this vision and we understood that the Lord was calling us to give the Good News to the Macedonian people.

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Friday, 15 May 2020 : 5th Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard more about the commandments of love from God. We continue to be reminded of the care and compassion which God has showered us all the while. He has done so much for us, giving us everything that we need, and He has shown us all these wonderful love so that we too may know what it truly means to love. And this is why He commanded us all to also love in the same way that He has loved us, to follow His examples in love, and practice these in our own lives that we may inspire one another.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles, the accounts of the first Council of Jerusalem, probably the very first gathering and discussion between the elders and the leaders of the Church in its history, which discussed especially the matters of the treatment of the Gentiles who converted to the Christian faith and how they all ought to be living their faith from then on. At that time, the early Church was in fact bitterly divided between several factions.

There were quite a few of those who wanted all the Christian faithful to adopt wholesale the entirety of the very strict observance and interpretation of the Jewish laws, customs and practices, a list of injunctions, rules and regulations that numbered six hundred and thirteen in some accounts. This was especially pushed for by the hardliner Pharisees and the Jewish converts among the early Christian communities. They wanted to preserve their way of faith as how it was before they converted.

On the other hand, there were those who argued and supported for the relaxation of the rules for the Christian faithful, which ought to apply not just for the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people, but also including the Jewish converts themselves, that they ought to abandon the excesses and the irrational faith and piety of their predecessors, and return to the true faith and dedication to God. These were espoused by St. Paul, St. Barnabas and some among the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord who had worked extensively among the Gentiles.

In the end, the dispute was brought before the Apostles and all the assembly of the faithful in Jerusalem, and by the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, as well as through the leadership of St. Peter the Apostle as the Lord’s Vicar and leader of the entire Church, the whole Council and Assembly of the faithful agreed to adapt a compromise position that favoured the Gentiles among the Christian converts and population. The decision of the Council put to rest the controversy and conflict among the faithful and agreed that all Christians were to observe the most fundamental aspects of the Law of God, but not the numerous excesses and additions that were irrelevant and oppressive.

All of these echo what the Lord Jesus Himself had told His disciples and also mirrored how He had struggled against the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law in their numerous encounters and disagreements. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law pursued a very strict and intolerant version of the Law that made it difficult even for the Jews and the Pharisees themselves to carry out and to fulfil the entirety of the commandments and rules of the Law. And if they had managed to impose these to the Gentiles, it would have brought even greater consequences.

Why is that so? That is because some of the practices of the Jews were seen as uncivilised, barbaric and undesirable by the Gentiles, who saw their practices such as circumcision and the dietary restriction laws as being undesirable and uncivilised if not abhorred and disliked. To enforce the full extent of the Jewish customs and practices would be unacceptable for most of the Gentiles and would have made the already difficult and precarious position and situation of the early Christian Gentiles to be far worse.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all reminded therefore that the Lord wants us to love Him just as He has loved us all, and He has given us all His laws and commandments so that we may know of how we ought to proceed forward in life, as a guide to shine light on our path that we may find our way in the darkness of this world. Instead, we misunderstood His intentions and desire, and we end up causing difficulties and troubles for all those who wanted genuinely to love Him and follow Him, like how the excesses of the old Jewish laws and customs almost made it difficult for any non-Jewish people to follow Christ and devote themselves to Him.

How about us, brothers and sisters in Christ? Have we ourselves loved God sincerely and with devotion so far? Or have we instead allowed our ego and our attachments to worldly desires, or our stubbornness to be stumbling blocks in our path towards God? This is why today we are called yet again to remember our calling to be filled with love and to love our fellow brothers and sisters, to be loving and to be genuine with our actions and love towards one another, that we do not just think about ourselves and our own selfish desires and wants, but we must also consider of the needs of our fellow brethren, especially those who are in need.

God has loved us so much, and He has been willing to reach out to us, to touch our lives and to help bring us out of our predicament, sending no less than His own Son to be our Saviour and to deliver us from the scourge of sin and death. His love is precious for us, and by His love, His most willing and painful sacrifice on the Cross, He showed us what it means by true, selfless and divine love, and He wants each and every one of us to learn more of that same love, that we may love God Himself and also one another, to exist once again in the fullness of His grace as He has intended for us.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, how about all of us? Are we willing to go the extra mile to show the love of God to our fellow men and to share His love and joy that more and more people may come to realise of His love and compassion, and therefore come to believe also in God? We have our calling and responsibility as Christians to respond to this call with love and to show love and compassion in our every words, actions and deeds. Let us all do this, brothers and sisters in Christ, especially in our world these days, with so much darkness and despair all around us.

Let us bear the light and love of Christ, His salvation and the hope in His grace to all people, and let us reach out to our fellow brethren with genuine love, that we may truly be recognised as God’s beloved children and people. May God bless each and every one of us, and may He strengthen us in our resolve to live our lives with faith, now and forevermore. Amen.